A study published on March 21 has shown that the abundance of wildlife differs between GM herbicide-tolerant winter oilseed rape and its conventional counterpart.

Growing herbicide-tolerant GM winter oilseed rape resulted in the same overall numbers of weeds as conventional winter oilseed rape but there were fewer broad-leaved weeds in the GM crop and more grass weeds. Flowers of broad-leaved weeds provide food for insects, and fewer bees and butterflies were found in the GM crop compared to the conventional crop.

Seed numbers of broad-leaved weeds were lower and numbers of grass seeds were higher in the GM crop. Weed seeds are an important food source for other wildlife and seeds from broad-leaved weeds feature strongly in the diet of farmland birds. Some beneficial soil insects were found in greater numbers in the GM crop. Fewer differences between GM and conventional winter oilseed rape were found in the number of other insects, slugs and spiders compared to the other three crops studied in the farm scale evaluations.

The researchers stress that the differences they found are not a result of the way in which the crop has been genetically modified. They arose because this GM crop gave farmers taking part in the trial new options for weed control. That is, they used a different herbicide and applied it differently.

The researchers also stress that the results apply to the particular type of GMHT winter oilseed rape crop and herbicide management tested.

The research has been conducted by an independent consortium of research institutes and the work has been overseen by an independent Scientific Steering Committee. Today this committee has advised Ministers that the results of the final phase of the Farm Scale Evaluations has been successfully completed and have outlined the latest findings. The Chairman of the Scientific Steering Committee, Professor Chris Pollock, said: " I'm delighted that today marks the successful completion of a truly original and innovative study on farmland ecology. The information presented in this paper and the ones that preceded it show in unparalleled detail the processes that go on in the crop that sustain the natural food chains within the countryside. This study is much more than a research project on weed control in GM herbicide-tolerant crops. It will serve as a benchmark for all studies on the balance between agricultural production and the management of biodiversity in the countryside".

The Scientific Steering Committee and research consortium have produced an updated accessible summary of the research findings, copies of which are available free from the farm scale evaluation website.

The Scientific Steering Committee will now pass the results of the study to the Government's statutory advisers on GM crops - the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) - who will review the findings and advise the government on their conclusions.